PERVUSHKIN BORIS NIKOLAEVICH

CHOU "St. Petersburg School "Tete-a-Tete"

Mathematics teacher of the highest category with the right to teach Astronomy

ASTRONOMY AT SCHOOL

In Russian schools, the subject “astronomy” has actually been outlawed since 2008 - under the pretext that none of the existing astronomy textbooks have been approved and approved for use in schools. And the rule now is - there is no approved textbook, therefore this subject cannot be taught. Apparently, officials from the Ministry of Education and Science considered that knowledge about the Universe and cosmic laws for our children is completely unnecessary.

There is no direct ban on studying astronomy in schools; in some schools, astronomy is still taught as a special course, but none of the recently written textbooks has the stamp of the Ministry of Education, which recommends the use of the textbook in the educational process. And there is a catastrophic shortage of teachers who can teach astronomy in high schools.

Let me remind you that, paradoxically, the elimination of astronomy as a compulsory subject in Russian schools took place just before 2009, declared the International Year of Astronomy by the UN General Assembly. While constantly declaring in words its desire to become part of the international community and declaring its desire to join the WTO, in reality Russia ignored the UN resolution. This inappropriate behavior of education officials caused a strong reaction from many teachers, university professors and the scientific community.

In 2009, Russian astronomers asked the authorities: “to return the teaching of astronomy to schools, restore astronomical training in pedagogical universities, and provide state support for the popularization of this science,” says the text of the conference resolution adopted as the basis. The statement of Russian scientists said: “The elimination of astronomy in high school will inevitably create fertile ground for the widespread dissemination of pseudoscientific ideas about the world, astrology, magic, witchcraft, in conditions where popular science literature is inaccessible to a wide range of the population due to high prices. We believe that the need for universal astronomy education is due to the importance of the contribution of astronomy to the creation of a scientific picture of the world and the formation of the scientific worldview of modern people. Natural science is part of a single universal human culture and natural science knowledge should become the property of any educated person. Currently, astronomy and space exploration are rapidly developing in the world, but in Russia, graduates of general education institutions are “doomed to astronomical illiteracy”

This initiative was also supported by the rector of Moscow State University Viktor Sadovnichy. “Astronomy should once again become a compulsory school subject,” he said, “and in universities it is necessary to revive the training of astronomy teachers. A person looking at the sky should have a basic idea of ​​what it represents. Astronomy is culture, it is knowledge that every cultured person should have. What are stars, what are planets, what is matter, what is space, why is it infinite.”

So why should astronomy be taught in schools?

For thousands of years, the foundations of astronomical knowledge - the foundations of ideas about the Universe - were part of the training system for younger generations. Even in the monastic schools of the Middle Ages, astronomy, along with arithmetic, geometry and music, was included in the “quadrivium” - the highest level of the seven liberal arts, required for the study of subjects. From here this scheme passed on to the first universities that arose in the 12th-13th centuries.

In Russian gymnasiums there was a compulsory course in descriptive astronomy - cosmography. Astronomy was also included in the curriculum of Soviet high schools as a compulsory subject. However, in those years there were attempts to remove astronomy from the high school curriculum. Shortly before the start of the Great Patriotic War, some “wise men” from the then People's Commissariat for Education tried to remove astronomy from high school programs. Then the country's leading astronomers turned to Academician A. A. Blagonravov, who was then the President of the Academy of Artillery Sciences (such an academy existed at one time), and he had the right to directly contact I. V. Stalin. And so one phone call from Blagonravov to Stalin was enough - and the issue of restoring astronomy in school was immediately resolved.

Why is it so important to study astronomy in high school? This is necessary for a modern educated person due to the important social functions that astronomy has performed throughout the history of mankind and to which the modern era introduces new dimensions. The first of these functions is applied. This is the development of methods of orientation in time and space, which is a necessary condition for human production activity, his social existence and his daily life. The second function is general cultural: it is the determination of the place and role of man in the structure of the Universe. For thousands of years, the astronomical picture of the world has been and is an integral part of the scientific picture of the world as a whole; that part of it that gives a person an idea of ​​the spatio-temporal structure of the world in which he lives and acts. Here it should be emphasized that, despite all its close connections with physics, astronomy is an independent integral science with its own specific object and method of research.

And in general, what needs to be proven if we were the first to create spaceships, the first to overcome gravity! We were the first to conquer space! We were the first to go into outer space! It is our Proton rockets that launch satellites of any country into orbit! Russia trains astronauts from all countries! Cosmonautics is one of the few areas of science where we still maintain a leading position in the world.

And all this because astronomy, taught in schools, revealed to children the beautiful and mysterious world of the Universe! It was former schoolchildren who fell in love with the starry sky who became talented designers and astronauts! Scientists of international level! And it’s a shame that right now, when the rest of the civilized world has become interested in astronomy, we have stopped teaching it at school.

Although, following the logic of our rulers, why do our children need to know the laws of the universe and have a scientific understanding of the world? Computer shooting games on the theme of “Star Wars”, science fiction films about aliens like “Skyline” and a course on God’s law are enough for them... Yes, “Star Factories”... As a result, now few of today’s youth can answer the simplest questions: who is Tsiolkovsky, how do planets differ from stars and why do solar eclipses happen...

In 2009 The world celebrated the 400th anniversary of observing the starry sky using telescopes. In 1609 Galileo Galilei pointed the telescope he created towards the Moon, Sun, stars and planets and discovered that there are mountains on the Moon, and spots on the Sun, that Jupiter has satellites, Saturn has rings, and the Milky Way consists of stars. Astronomy is currently undergoing another revolution. Today it is one of the most rapidly developing sciences, where discoveries follow one after another. In Russia, since the time of Peter I, astronomy has been a compulsory subject in schools and colleges. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was his interest in astronomy that led Friedrich Zander to the construction of an interplanetary jet aircraft. In the 60s. In the 20th century, it was impossible to imagine that astronomy would be expelled from the secondary education curriculum. Then the spacecraft created by our scientists opened up new knowledge about the Moon, Venus, and Mars for all humanity. Today, alas, other countries are engaged in fundamental space research: Europe, the USA, Japan, China, India, and in Russia officials believe that we have had enough of space transportation for money and space tourism for money....

The UN General Assembly in its resolution noted that astronomy is one of the oldest fundamental sciences, that it has a serious influence on the development of other sciences, applied research, culture, philosophy, etc., that astronomy is an absolutely necessary science that should be studied starting from childhood.

And the elimination of the study of astronomy in Russian schools goes in parallel with Russia's withdrawal from the field of fundamental sciences and from such high-tech areas as space. In words, the authorities advocate for the innovative development of Russia, but in reality they are engaged in the destruction of fundamental education, removing astronomy from schools and universities and replacing the theory of evolution with delusional myths about the seven days of creation. It is especially significant that this is happening right now, during the years of a grandiose scientific breakthrough in the field of astronomy and space physics in the leading countries of the world...

Secondary general education

Line UMK B. A. Vorontsov-Velyaminov. Astronomy (11)

Astronomy at school: 5 topical issues

In her speech at the meeting of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation on April 3, 2017, the Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Olga Vasilyeva, emphasized: “Let me remind you that starting from this year, an astronomy course is being introduced in the school curriculum. This is not surprising - astronomy was taught in a physics course, physics teachers are ready for them to teach this course separately. No clock changes occur" ().

Many people are concerned about the question: why was astronomy canceled at school? Science, which not only influences the applied development of today’s important branches of knowledge: space geodesy and space navigation, which are rapidly developing in the 21st century, but is also responsible for the formation of a worldview, giving an idea of ​​the world and the place of man in the Universe.

When did it happen?

In Soviet times, astronomy was an independent subject, for which 35 hours were allocated in grades 10-11, and was a natural science course. Students leaving school after the 9th grade did not even begin to study a discipline that has ideological significance. One hour a week, however, allowed the country to be a leader in space exploration, successfully hold astronomical Olympiads and have a huge army of people passionate about this science.

In 1991, the subject “astronomy” in schools ceased to be basic, which led to its displacement from the program. Back in the early 2000s, graduating classes were offered four textbooks with different levels of presentation of the material, but in 2008, none of them received official permission from the Ministry of Education and Science for use in educational institutions (order No. 349). This outlawed the teaching of astronomy.

Background

And this is in a country where there is three hundred years of experience in transferring knowledge about cosmic bodies and the structure of the Universe. Even under Peter I, astronomy in schools became compulsory for students. For a century, it was a separate discipline, which is a unique phenomenon in the pedagogy of the world. Before the revolution, the highest level of teaching was achieved due to the following factors:

• Differentiation of learning.
• Variety of programs.
• Freedom for teachers to choose methods.
• Excellent equipment.
• Possibility of integration with the physics course.

After the revolution, traditions were preserved, and in the 30s unified programs, tools and teaching methods were created. In the 40s, the main goal was the formation of a scientific worldview; for these reasons, the course of astronomy continued to develop. In the 80-90s, a gradual “erosion” of the subject began, which did not fit into the structure of the new educational standards.

What today?

There is no official ban on the inclusion of astronomy, but the decision is left to the discretion of the school leadership. Most educational institutions provide summaries of the subject as part of integrated courses. Astronomy for elementary school, as the simplest ideas about the world, is included in the program for “The World Around us.” In high school - in physics (50 pages).

In some regions, such as Chuvashia, this small section can easily be classified as astrophysics, because it is filled with calculations and complex problems. This ultimately does not allow us to give the correct idea of ​​what the Milky Way is. But since 2010, many schools, along with traditional programs, began to study the basics of religious cultures. Modern graduates confuse astronomy with astrology, which was previously considered a pseudoscience.

Consequences

VTsIOM regularly conducts surveys of Russians, showing that a third of their fellow citizens are convinced that the Earth does not revolve around the Sun, but vice versa. In September, domestic media were quick to report about NASA’s changes to the system of zodiac signs, which caused some excitement among the country’s residents. Although this was done by the Americans specifically for children and youth audiences to show the inaccuracy of astrology.

Young people gain their knowledge about the structure of the Universe not through astronomy lessons at school, but from fantastic Hollywood blockbusters and computer games. Among the myths that are firmly entrenched in the minds of fellow citizens is the belief that we are surrounded by aliens, American flights to the moon are a hoax, and the lunar phases actually affect the harvest of a summer cottage. A person who considers himself civilized does not know how it affects planet Earth. The aggressive illiteracy of the population was especially evident during the meteorite fall in February 2013 near Chelyabinsk.

Why did it happen?

So, no one formally canceled the study of astronomy, no prohibitory instructions were sent to the school, but she left the educational institutions. Why?

Schools provide teaching first of all the basic subjects defined by the Russian Federation, then by the subject of the Russian Federation, and only then - given to the discretion of the school. To enter a separate discipline into the schedule, three conditions must be met:

• The decision of the parents, which must be of a collegial nature.
• Equipment for teaching.
• Availability of personnel capable of transferring the necessary knowledge.

As a rule, parents' main interest is the Unified State Exam, which has become mandatory since 2009, and the admission of their child to a university. It is for this reason that even those 50 pages from a physics textbook devoted to information on astronomy are not studied at school. To gain time to coach graduates for the final exam. The equipment does not cost much, but it is necessary, and again schools prefer to save money. The biggest problem is staffing.

Personnel decides everything

Today, even in Moscow, where there are a huge number of educational institutions with special training in the field of natural sciences, only 20 (out of two thousand) retain astronomy. There is a catastrophic shortage of teachers in this discipline in schools. Until 1978, only the Gorky Pedagogical Institute trained specialists, and as of 1980, ten universities had specialization according to the curriculum (Moscow, Baku, Kyiv, Tashkent, Telavi, Chelyabinsk, Leningrad, Rostov, Chernigov, Nikolaev). Only 600 applicants were recruited per year.

Due to the small number of hours in schools, they began to train teachers with a general specialty - physics and astronomy, which led to a bias in teaching towards physics. The methodology for teaching astronomy was neglected. Today, due to lack of demand, pedagogical universities do not retain astrophysics departments. Therefore, teachers are helpless in teaching the material.

Year of Astronomy

It is symbolic that astronomy in Russian schools was forced out of the curriculum on the eve of the year of astronomy. In 2009, 400 years after G. Galileo made the first observation of celestial bodies using a telescope, the world community celebrated a breakthrough in the field of knowledge about the Universe. Scientists participating in the conference addressed the authorities with a statement about the need to overcome illiteracy in natural science, which is part of culture, and universal astronomical education. For this science is by far the most dynamically developing.

The initiative was supported by the rector of Moscow State University, the Roscosmos state corporation, and planetarium employees who began collecting signatures in support of teaching astronomy to schoolchildren, but no changes occurred under Minister A. Fursenko.

Position of the new head of the Ministry of Education and Science

Olga Vasilyeva has a different position on this issue. In September 2016, she announced: astronomy will appear in Russian schools in 2017. This will happen due to the second foreign language, for which 250 hours are allocated. If we reduce them, the possibility will be found of including lessons in the basic curriculum of a comprehensive school. The version of E. K. Strout and B. A. Vorontsov-Velyaminov will be offered as a textbook.

Due to the overload of students, it is planned to provide one hour per week for a new subject. It would seem that the scientific community should rejoice, but what do scientists say about this?

Scientists' opinions

Discussions on this issue have been going on for a long time. Deputies and the public share concern about the emerging lag of the once leading space power in many areas. Moscow State University Professor A.V. Zasov focuses on the fact that astronomy in schools should touch upon ideological issues, form a scientific understanding of the world, and therefore accompany the student throughout the entire period of study.

Interest in celestial bodies, stars and other galaxies arises from the age of 11-12, but during these years children do not have the amount of knowledge in physics and mathematics that is necessary when mastering astronomical knowledge. The importance of the subject cannot be underestimated. Via astronomy:

• Illustrates how the laws of physics work beyond the Earth.
• There is an acquaintance with the exploration of outer space and modern achievements in this area, which requires the combined efforts of leading powers.
• Teenage curiosity is satisfied and interest in learning is fostered.

Problems of returning astronomy

Teachers understand that astronomy will not appear in schools today with just the stroke of a pen. If the problems of textbooks and allocation of hours are not so difficult to solve, then the restoration of the teacher training system will require from 5 to 15 years. It is necessary to return the departments of astrophysics, the interest of scientists, and a state order.

Many believe that the discipline will not survive on its own. It will be necessary to include the necessary sections in the teaching of related subjects: physics, geography, mathematics, chemistry, and the creation of integrative courses. To do this, it is necessary to reconsider the concept of their content in schools with varying degrees of complexity of educational programs.

Teachers are concerned about the level of preparation of students. Every year, some children fail the final exams (USE). 2016 was no exception: 4.7% did not pass the basic level, and 15% did not pass the professional level in mathematics. The minimum passing score in physics was only 36 points (out of one hundred). In all technical universities it is a core subject. It is necessary to ensure that the natural sciences become truly prestigious in society.

Afterword

Why is astronomy in school canceled at a time when the country is losing ground in technological progress? Perhaps because it is easier to control people whose consciousness is dominated by medieval ideas about the structure of the world? There are fears that with the appearance at school of the foundations of religious cultures instead of the science of the development of the Universe, in ten years graduates will leave school with confidence in the divine origin of all living things and that the Earth rests on three pillars. I would not like to think that the main science by which life should be checked will be astrology, and the place where you need to go when you feel unwell is not a clinic, but a psychic’s office.

In Russia, March 8 is an official holiday, an additional day off .

In general, in our country this date was declared a holiday from the moment of the widespread establishment of Soviet power, and half a century later it also became a day off. In the USSR, the celebration largely had a political context, since historically the event in honor of which the holiday was established was an important day in the workers’ struggle for their rights. And it was also on March 8, 1917 (old style, February 23, 1917 according to the new style) that the February Revolution began with a strike of workers in St. Petersburg factories, which grew into the celebration of International Women's Day.

International Women's Day on March 8 is a UN observance, and the organization includes 193 states. The memorial dates announced by the General Assembly are designed to encourage UN members to show increased interest in these events. However, at the moment, not all member states of the United Nations have approved the celebration of Women's Day in their territories on the specified date.

Below is a list of countries that celebrate International Women's Day. Countries are grouped into groups: in a number of states the holiday is an official non-working day (day off) for all citizens, on March 8th only women rest, and there are states where they work on March 8th.

In which countries is the holiday March 8 a day off (for everyone):

* In Ukraine- International Women's Day continues to remain an additional holiday, despite regular proposals to exclude the event from the list of non-working days and replace it, for example, with Shevchenko Day, which will be celebrated on March 9.
* In Abkhazia.
* In Azerbaijan.
* In Algeria.
* In Angola.
* In Armenia.
* In Afghanistan.
* In Belarus.
* To Burkina Faso.
* In Vietnam.
* In Guinea-Bissau.
* In Georgia.
* In Zambia.
* In Kazakhstan.
* In Cambodia.
* In Kenya.
* In Kyrgyzstan.
* IN DPRK.
* In Cuba.
* In Laos.
* In Latvia.
* In Madagascar.
* In Moldova.
* In Mongolia.
* In Nepal.
* In Tajikistan- since 2009, the holiday was renamed Mother's Day.
* In Turkmenistan.
* In Uganda.
* In Uzbekistan.
* In Eritrea.
* In South Ossetia.

Countries where March 8 is a women's-only day off:

* In China.
* In Madagascar.

Which countries celebrate March 8, but it is a working day:

* Austria.
* Bulgaria.
* Bosnia and Herzegovina.
* Germany- in Berlin, since 2019, March 8 is a day off, in the country as a whole it is a working day.
* Denmark.
* Italy.
* Cameroon.
* Romania.
* Croatia.
* Chile.
* Switzerland.

In which countries is March 8 NOT celebrated?

* In the USA, the holiday is not an official holiday. In 1994, an attempt by activists to get the celebration approved by Congress failed.

* In the Czech Republic (Czech Republic) - most of the country's population views the holiday as a relic of the communist past and the main symbol of the old regime.